THE LAST OF THE BOOMERS... MOTORHOME ADVENTURES AND MORE

 When it comes to motorhomes and campers there is an infinite number of so called must have gismos and gadgets. Over the years we have had some excellent items that have proved very useful but just as many that have fallen fowl to the 12 month rule and ended up in the garage of our house never to see the light of day again. The 12 month rule is that... if an item has not been used at least once in previous year it gets taken out of the van no exceptions ! Below is a list of the some of our favourites and some that didn't get the use anticipated.    The first and top of the list for any van is the humble leveling ramps, ask any one that's had a motorhome for any length of time and they will tell you that everything works better when the van is level . The fridge works better you will sleep better but more important your drinks won't slide down hill when your relaxing of an evening , the second item which should be purchased in conjunction with the chocks is a spirit level ...

 I consider myself very lucky that I have the lovely Polly to share my motorhome trips with but sometimes for whatever reason when we can't get away together I have been known to go on a solo run. This varies from a couple of days and on one occasion putting Polly on a Ryanair while staying on in France by myself for 10 days. The most recent of my solo trips was back in early October with the forecast looking promising I decided I would incorporated delivering the van to Derek Walsh's in Limerick for a small repair with a 3 day trip to the midlands. I loaded up a bike and hit the road there was no real plan other than to enjoy the late autumn sunshine and get a bit of exercise.   As most motorhome owners will know Waterways Ireland is one of the few government backed agencies that you could consider a friend to the motorhome/camper community with large amounts of government money invested into revamping the waterways for recreational use. I'm not sure if it was by design ...

Ireland is a small country particularly if you're looking to have a motorhome repaired. I can count on one hand the number of good professional repair shops that I could recommend.  If there is a job that you just can't DIY what are your options.  There was a time in the not to distance past where it would be just a matter of ringing your nearest or trusted (they were not always the same) dealer to make an appointment that suited you then would be looked after within a week or so. But with the surge in motorhome/camper van ownership the dealerships/repair shops are overrun with work plus they are encountering the same problem that many sectors are experiencing with being unable to find experienced staff to increase capacity. If anything over the past few years the availability of good quality repair shops has declined with Donagheys in Letterkenny one of my favourites closing down completely. At the moment if you contact the same trusted repair shop or dealer looking of a quic...